USC scrimmages for the second time Saturday, and much of the attention will be focused on the competition at one of the cornerback spots. Coach Lane Kiffin described it Friday as "probably the scariest position. " Senior Shareece Wright is set on one side, but redshirt freshman Torin Harris, third-year sophomore Brian Baucham and freshman Nickell Robey are in a close race for the other spot. All three intercepted passes during Friday night's practice, which was dominated by the defense.

USC players are looking forward to Saturday's Pacific 10 Conference game at Washington, none more than safety Taylor Mays. Mays, a sophomore, grew up in Seattle and went to O'Dea High, where he starred in football and track. "I'm looking forward, actually, to just being in Seattle," Mays said Tuesday. "The game, obviously, but not as much playing the Huskies and that whole thing. It's more just taking the bus and seeing all the stuff I'm familiar with.

Auditions to possibly replace safety Josh Pinkard will begin today when USC returns to practice, but that is only one position where young players will get extended looks because of Saturday's open date. USC does not play again until Sept. 16, when the Trojans play host to Nebraska. As he did in 2002, 2004 and 2005, Coach Pete Carroll will use practices preceding a second-week open date to evaluate young players and rest banged-up veterans.

Highlights of this week's high school football schedule: * Harbor City Narbonne (6-4, 4-0) at San Pedro (7-2, 4-0), 7 tonight: With the Marine League championship on the line, these teams will try to pound it out in the trenches and on the ground. San Pedro could have two 1,000-yard rushers this season: Devin Carter has gained 1,068 yards, and Jvone Hibbler has 929. San Pedro's top player is USC-bound lineman Zack Heberer.

September 13, 2008 | David Wharton and Gary Klein, Times Staff Writers

USC cornerback Shareece Wright has been charged with felony resisting a police officer in connection with a party in Colton last weekend. Police detained Wright at the scene, but he was not among several people arrested in the early morning hours on Sunday. The San Bernardino district attorney subsequently filed charges against him and three others. His arraignment is scheduled for Wednesday. Neither Wright nor USC Coach Pete Carroll could be reached for comment. This week, Wright said he had attended a party for someone being deployed to Iraq.

Fili Moala's cellphone did not stop buzzing. Shortly after four USC players were selected in the first round of April's NFL draft, an ESPN analyst released his draft projections for 2009. Moala, shockingly, was No. 1 overall. "I didn't know anything at all about it until everyone started texting me saying congratulations," Moala recalled. "At first, I'm thinking like, 'For what?' " The 6-foot-5, 295-pound Moala was flattered by the recognition, but not moved by it. "It's all preseason stuff -- it doesn't mean anything," Moala said.

USC's quarterback situation took a sharp turn today when the school announced that sophomore Aaron Corp could miss two weeks because of a cracked bone in his left leg. The news puts freshman Matt Barkley on track to possibly start the Sept. 5 opener against San Jose State. "Matt's going to try and make the most of this opportunity," Coach Pete Carroll said in a statement. Corp, who had entered training camp listed No. 1 on the depth chart, was injured during practice Monday when a defensive lineman rolled into his leg. He sat out Tuesday's workout as Barkley took the vast majority of the first-team snaps with junior Mitch Mustain as the back-up.

Two parts of USC's quarterback equation became almost certain when Mark Sanchez returned last week from a knee injury. Sanchez would start Saturday's opener at Virginia. And redshirt freshman Aaron Corp, who started the Trojans' final scrimmage and took the majority of leftover snaps upon Sanchez's return, would back him up. "I've heard it's one of the toughest positions in sports -- you have to keep preparing like you're going to play," Corp said Wednesday. Corp beat out Arkansas transfer Mitch Mustain for the back-up role against Virginia by demonstrating a better command of the offense.

Pete Carroll 's announcement Tuesday that tailback Joe McKnight would start Saturday's opener against San Jose State did not come as a shock. But the timing spoke volumes. In three previous seasons with the current stable of running backs, Carroll never made a declaration so early in the week before the opener. It is a clear sign that Carroll and new play-caller Jeremy Bates plan to give McKnight an opportunity to earn a larger share of the carries and touches this season.